Water leaves a bad taste

Pittsboro, state work on problem

PITTSBORO -- Debbie and Bob Sherwin have spent four years renovating their Pittsboro home.

They've put up white beadboard in the kitchen, installed beige carpet and added a screened porch.

The one thing they can't fix is their tap water. Every quarter, the town sends them a letter that says, "Our water system violated a drinking water standard."

Now that Debbie Sherwin is four months pregnant, the couple is especially worried. They drink only bottled water and water from a cooler in their kitchen. When they brush their teeth, they try not to swallow.

The water "tastes nasty," said Debbie Sherwin, 34. It smells like sulfur and leaves a metallic aftertaste. Bob Sherwin, 33, has contacted a lawyer to see whether he has any recourse. A town, he said, should provide water that doesn't make you sick.

In the meantime, the Sherwins want to start a citizens group to push the town to do something about the water, which has had problems on and off for at least six years.

John Poteat, Pittsboro's utility director, acknowledged problems with elevated levels of disinfection by-products, known as trihalomethanes, since 2001. TTHMs are a byproduct of dissolved carbon, an organic material, and the chlorine used to sanitize the water.

If ingested in large amounts over many years, TTHMs may damage the liver, kidneys and central nervous system, and increase a person's risk of cancer, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Federal guidelines limit TTHMs to 0.08 milligrams per liter of water. Pittsboro's average for the last 12 months was 0.146 milligrams per liter.

TTHMs build up when the water sits in the system, Poteat said. Ironically, he said, development will help the system. As the town grows, and more water gets used, the system will get flushed more often, he said, causing fewer contaminants.

Right now, Pittsboro has about 1,600 water customers. But Pittsboro's population of about 2,500 is expected to triple in the next decade.

Frank Efird, Pittsboro's water plant operator, said the town needs to expand and update its plant to correct the problem. The plant was built in 1964, he said, and it can't handle the amount of water the growing town needs. "It's a Volkswagen running like a Ferrari," he said.

The state's Department of Environmental Health is working with the town. Julia Cavalier, a state engineer, said elevated TTHMs are not unique to Pittsboro. The state averages about 50 water systems with elevated TTHMs per quarter, Cavalier said.

The department issues non-compliance orders that can come with a fine if the town's water does not comply with regulations. Though Pittsboro has been out of compliance for years, the department has not fined Pittsboro.

"We feel like they are making headway to come into compliance," said Linda Raynor, who oversees the department's compliance services branch.

The town is paying the engineering firm Hobbs, Upchurch & Associates $35,000 to study the town's water system, Poteat said. The firm has not determined how much it would cost to upgrade the plant, according to a document provided by the town clerk.

Not everyone is complaining about the water.

Chapel Hill's Carolina Brewery, which is opening a location in Pittsboro, is brewing beer with the town's water, and brewmaster Jon Connolly said he likes what he sees so far. The brewery runs the town water through a charcoal filter, and the chlorine boils out as the beer is made, he said.

"It makes great beer," he said.